Monthly Archives: May 2021

Election Day – make your vote count

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Today is the day!  In Leeds, local elections for Leeds City Council are taking place and also the first election for a Mayor of West Yorkshire.

Polling stations are open NOW until 10pm.
Many polling stations this year have changed due to Covid.
If you’re not sure where yours is go to https://wheredoivote.co.uk/

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You don’t need your polling card to go, just turn up to your polling station and give your name and address.
If you have a postal vote that you have not yet returned, if you complete the pack you can then drop it off at any polling station.
Remember that you will need a mask to enter.  Social distancing and other covid measures will be in place.

After The Interval and Before The Interval – a double bill from The Shows Must Go On

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After the Interval’ (2012) and its sequel ‘Before the Interval’ (2014), conceived and directed by Luca Silvestrini for award-winning HeadSpaceDance will be presented together for the first time giving you the chance to see them in their continuity.

‘After the Interval’ pins Silvestrini’s observational genius to satirising dancing life. A show about dance and dancers that opens with the performers’ curtain calls, who then answer audience questions, and continues with revivals of their past stage roles and steps. After the Interval brings to the fore the art of dance making and the backstage lives of dancers while celebrating Broom/Akrill’s 20 years joint career and the start of their company HeadSpaceDance.

After The Interval is available to watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02ZTS2eUCU4
And Before The Interval will be available from 7pm on Friday.

Legal challenge to inequality for ‘legacy benefits’

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This may apply to you if you are getting ESA or JSA or have been during the pandemic – since March 2020.

We will be keeping an eye on the outcomes and sharing information as we get it.

DWP court battle means millions could get £1,000 benefits back pay.:
People on older ‘legacy benefits’ could be in line for a payout as the Government faces a court benefits battle.
The legal fight centres on the £20 a week uplift given to people on Universal Credit at the start of the pandemic, The Mirror reports.
The payment didn’t go to those on older benefits, like employment support allowance (ESA), income support, and jobseekers’ allowance (JSA).
Many of those still claiming the older benefits are disabled, sick, or carers. According to Disability Rights UK, over 1.9million disabled people are still claiming ESA payments.
And this week, two recipients of ESA challenged this decision at the High Court for judicial review.
They argued it was discriminatory and unjustified to exclude people from higher payments just because their benefits were administered under an old system. On Thursday, the High Court agreed the issue could be arguably unlawful and will decide the case later this year.
The claimants have asked for the trial to be heard before the end of July 2021.
William Ford, of Osbornes Law, which is representing the claimants, said: “We are pursuing this legal challenge based on the proposition that the pandemic means those dependent upon basic allowances are facing higher basic living costs, and yet despite their very similar circumstances, only some of them receive a Covid-specific uplift to help meet those costs.
“This unfairness calls for a properly evidenced justification, particularly as almost 2 million disabled people are disproportionately affected by this decision and the pandemic generally. Thus far the Government has failed to provide any objectively verifiable reason for the difference in treatment of people in essentially identical circumstances.”
A DWP Spokesperson told The Mirror: “It has always been the case that claimants on legacy benefits can make a claim for Universal Credit if they believe that they will be better off.”
Helen Barnard of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said “everyone should have access to a strong social security system that protects them from harm when they are struggling to stay afloat.”
She added: “Disabled people and carers already face a greater risk of poverty, so there can be no justification for offering them less support than people claiming Universal Credit simply because they are in a different part of the system.
“Discrimination has no place in our social security system and every day we fail to act undermines public trust and intensifies hardship. Ministers must right this injustice by urgently extending the £20 increase to legacy benefits.

Check your polling station

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May be an image of text that says "Leeds CITY COUNCIL The Electoral Commission YOUR VOTE MATTERS DON'T LOSE IT X"

If you are planning to vote in person for the local and West Yorkshire Mayoral elections on Thursday, make sure you check where your polling station is – as it may not be the usual place.

Over 70 polling stations have moved from their usual locations during the coronavirus pandemic – check your poll card to see if yours is one of them or visit www.wheredoivote.co.uk/

For those who choose to vote in person, polling stations will be safe places to vote on 6 May.  Local election teams will be doing everything they can to ensure voting in person on polling day is safe for everyone. This means there will be safety measures in place at polling stations to prevent the spread of COVID-19, many of which you’ll be very familiar with!

  • There will be a limit to the number of people allowed in a polling station at any given time to allow for social distancing.
  • Please remember your face covering – you will need this to enter the polling station and will be expected to wear it throughout.
  • Make sure to sanitise your hands before and after voting. In many places, sanitiser will be available but it may be a good idea to carry your own!
  • Some polling stations will supply clean pencils for voters but it may be best to bring your own with you.
  • Polling Stations will be cleaned regularly by polling staff. You may need to wait while a booth is sanitised before you enter.
  • Polling Station staff may be working behind safety screens – this doesn’t mean you can’t ask for assistance if you require it!

With these new safety measures in place, it may take a little bit longer to vote than usual. Remember that if you are in the queue to vote before 10pm, you will still be able to vote even when polls officially close.

Voters are encouraged to keep themselves and others safe by:
• Wearing a face covering
• Bringing their own pen or pencil
• Cleaning their hands when entering and leaving the polling station
• Keeping a safe distance
Voters should not attend the polling station if they have symptoms of Covid-19, or if they have been asked to self-isolate. There will be provisions in place to apply for an emergency proxy vote if required due to health circumstances.

Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday May 6, 2021.

You don’t need your poll card to vote.

You must vote at your assigned polling station.

If you are registered to vote, but you don’t have your poll card, you can go to the polling station and give them your name and address.

In England, Wales and Scotland, you don’t need any form of ID. In Northern Ireland, you must bring photo ID.

Helping yourself to feel safe when out and about

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As lockdown eases and we start thinking about getting out more, it’s natural that some people may be feeling anxious or unsure about going out.  British Red Cross have some really helpful advice about making a personal risk judgement and building your confidence here: https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-help/coronavirus/judging-risk-when-going-out

Consider your own needs, and those closest to you
Acknowledge the source of stress, and how it impacts upon you
Listen to how you’re feeling mentally and physically
Manage ways to manage your stress and regain control
Enable – what has enabled you to cope with stress in the past?
Resource – what do you need to put steps in place?